


through the fire, through the flame

by absolutelyamethyst



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21753418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolutelyamethyst/pseuds/absolutelyamethyst
Summary: In which worlds are upended, secrets are revealed, and Steven learns that he is not alone.Also, never trust the diamonds.
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

_The kindergarten is massive and dark. This place...she feels like she should know it, but it’s foreign. It’s completely empty. Her footsteps shiver up the walls of the cavern and rattle into the open sky before fading into total silence._

_She’s lonely, so scared she can’t stop shaking. Fear. It’s a strange feeling, rising inside her like a swarm of…things. Things she can’t name, words she doesn’t know. She’s a mystery, a bundle of questions. She’s...empty. She has nowhere to go, no purpose, and she’s…_

_Terrified. And so, so small. Tiny, like the pebbles crunching beneath her feet._

_The world spins. The cavern funnels inward, the walls rising higher and higher until they tower over her. She screams, the sound a piercing wail, and lets the fear take over.  
~  
On top of the cliffs, a woman stills. “H-hey, Max?_

_Her husband’s cheeks are red from the cold, but his face is pale. “I heard it too.”_

_A baby. Somewhere below them, a baby was crying._  
~


	2. The Errand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While running an "errand" for her parents, Lia makes a few new friends.

_Through the Fire, Through the Flame_  
Arc One: Nature  
Chapter One: The Errand

The wind. The freaking wind. 

She hadn’t realized the paper was slipping until it was too late, and she’d watched it fly out of her hand and into the air, stared as it had spiraled up, up, up, curling against the stars. 

And then it was gone. 

“Go get groceries, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Well, they were wrong. Very, very, _very_ wrong. Thanks, Mom and Dad.”

 _Click!_ An unfortunate rock met an unfortunate end, rocketing into the nearest alley upon making contact with the edge of her sandal. Lia scoffed, turned sharply towards the setting sun, and glared up at the sky with one hand propped over her face. The shop was glowing, scarlet rays peeking through cracked, aging slats of driftwood. She could faintly make out the shop’s name--the Crafty Critter--written in fading red paint. It was almost pretty, and...homey. Almost. 

A door slammed. Lia jumped, scurried forward as her mother opened the shop door, broom in hand. She was humming, listlessly dragging the broom over the floor, her gaze rising to sweep over the empty street--only it wasn’t empty, and Lia was dead, so _dead_ , if she didn’t move _right now_. 

She scooted into the shadows, shoved her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt, and started walking. The grocery store wasn’t far, and it was a nice night out, but the list-

The list! 

“Ah, nuts,” she mumbled. It had been a long list, and an oddly specific one. There was no way she was going to be able to remember everything, but she had to try. How had it started again? “Pickles...bacon...eggs…”

~

“Hey, are you okay?” 

“Did she want sweet pickles? Or dill…”

“Hellooo…you’ve been staring at those jars for ten minutes. You good?” 

“Um.” Lia blinked, shook her head and let out a laugh, heat creeping into her cheeks. “Yeah, sorry, I…uh, whoa.” Purple hair, purple skin, and a gem at the center of her chest-- ”You’re Amethyst, right? You're one of the Crystal Gems! Y-you helped save Beach City!”

“Which time?” The gem grinned. “That’s me alright! What’s your name?”

“Lia.” Amethyst’s hand was hard, her grip solid as they shook hands, both of them beaming. Lia winced. “My mom gave me this grocery list, but then the wind blew it away, and now I can’t remember what she wanted me to get.” She sighed. “Dill pickles? Or sweet?” 

Amethyst’s nose wrinkled. “Sweet,” she said. “Dill pickles are too...sour.”

Lia nodded. “Sweet it is!” The jar was cold in her hand, heavy in her basket. The already full basket that was draped across her arm, Lia looked down. Everything in the basket was...more or less what had been included in the list, but she grabbed a chocolate bar, just in case her profuse apologies weren’t enough. 

When she glanced up again, Amethyst was staring at her, but the gem quickly glanced away when she realized Lia had seen. “It was nice meeting you!” She said, her cheeks going violet as she turned to run off. 

Lia watched her go, her stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. Amethyst had been really, really nice, but there was no doubting what had just happened. It was the same thing that always happened when Lia met someone new, and it was the reason she didn’t run errands like this, why she stayed inside and hid. 

She was a freak.

_Never meet your heroes, Lia..._

She stared down at her basket and walked up to the cashier, fighting back tears. 

“Are you alright, love?” The woman asked, peering worriedly at Lia as she unloaded her backset. 

“I’m fine,” Lia answered. She didn’t say anything else as the cashier finished her transaction, stared at her shoes, took the bags and the receipt when prompted. 

She walked outside--

\--and promptly ran into another gem.

“Sorry.” But the gem didn’t look sorry. Her gaze was cast towards the ground, her arms at her sides and her shoulders were rigid. Slowly, hesitantly, she looked up at Lia then sighed, like human interaction was the last thing she wanted to be doing. “I’m looking for a gem named Amethyst. Have you seen her?” 

“In there,” said Lia, nodding towards the store. "Wait...no. She ran off. I'm sorry, I have no idea where she went." _And I don't want to._

The sunlight caught on the girl’s blue skin, and Lia gasped. “You’re a gem too!” 

“I’m Lapis, Lapis Lazuli,” said the girl, smiling a small smile. 

“I’m Lia.” Lia held out her hand. 

Lapis’ eyes narrowed. 

Lia held her breath, waiting.

“I’ve never seen a human with your color skin before,” said Lapis, eyes wide. “It’s beautiful.”

Lia’s entire face went hot. “Really? You really think so?” 

“Yeah?” Lapis frowned, tilting her head. She said. “Sorry...was that the wrong thing to say?”

“N-no! It’s just, you’re the first person who’s ever told me that. Even my parents think it’s weird…” _Even if they didn't say so_. 

Lapis’ eyes narrowed again, and for a moment, Lia was afraid she’d upset the gem. But then she smiled, looked towards the beach, and said, “wanna help me go find her?” 

~

“Do you think she’ll be alright?” 

Emily smiled as she looked at her husband, a twinkle in her eye. “I know she won’t be. That was the point.” 

“You’re right.” Max chuckled. “I wonder what sort of trouble she’s gotten into now.”

“She’s lost the list by now, surely,” said Emily, picking up one of the balloon weights to dust the table beneath. “And if not, then she’s probably freaking out trying to find everything. The poor dear…”

Max put his arm around her shoulder, glancing around the room to survey their work. “She’s given us plenty of time, that’s for sure. I hope you went easier on her this year.” 

“Of course not, love. Where on earth is the fun in that?” 

Around them, the room was lit up with tiny lights. Balloons hung in each corner, and the cake was done, draped with white and pink frosting. Guests would start arriving soon, but the party wouldn’t start until Lia arrived.

“Seventeen years,” said Max. 

Emily smiled. A single tear rolled down her cheek. “Here’s to many more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tee-hee. Lia and Lapis. I'm gonna love writing them, I can feel it.

**Author's Note:**

> Bear with me, folks! This fic may start out a bit slow, and this is DEFINITELY a rough draft, but I felt like I had to post something of an idea, otherwise I'd delete the whole thing. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please kudos and leave a comment!


End file.
